Law

A state law aimed at getting problem police officers off the streets has resulted in dozens of cops losing their badges in the last year.

Several circuit court judges set to be approved by the General Assembly this week received mediocre marks in recent evaluations by local attorneys. Their pending approval is drawing renewed attention to a process that critics say is opaque and subject to potential conflicts of interests.

There are almost 200 “barrier” crimes in Virginia law that make you ineligible to become a substance abuse counselor in the state. They range widely from robbery, to recklessly driving, and pointing a laser at a law enforcement officer.

Sen. Joe Morrissey’s (D-Richmond) bill would ban the department from isolating people in custody for more than 15 days at a time. It defines isolated confinement as being in a cell alone for 20 hours or more per day.

Members of the Virginia House and Senate will likely enter closed-door negotiations to finalize a comprehensive plan to regulate marijuana sales.

The Office of the Attorney General in Virginia has decided the state will not support the case of two Waverly men who are serving life sentence in federal prison - despite a jury finding them not guilty of murder.

On Tuesday, House Republicans in Virginia put a stop to two proposed constitutional amendments that Democrats had been fighting for.

The Virginia Senate has rejected a bill to eliminate every mandatory minimum criminal sentence in state code. Among the “no” votes were two Democratic Senators: Dick Saslaw and Lynwood Lewis.

Democrats in Virginia’s Senate have dealt a blow to a major campaign promise from Attorney General Jason Miyares that would have allowed him to intervene in some local prosecutions.

Orlando Carter was shot three times by Richmond police officer Ja’Ontay Wilson on News Year’s Eve of 2020. He survived the shooting but was charged with two felonies.